.@BBCWorld this is a formal complaint by @IsraelMFA .This title is a deliberate misrepresentation of reality ( that’s the polite equivalent of “ this is a LIE”, if you don’t get it). Israelis were targeted by Hamas and IDF acts to protect them.Change it IMMEDIATELY!!! @IsraelMFApic.twitter.com/pqjXuopXgO

Media Lens accused the BBC of “obfuscating” the killings. In fact, there may be a greater danger if a reader sees the BBC‘s new headline – Gaza airstrikes ‘kill woman and child’ after rockets hit Israel. Without reading the article, someone could think that ‘Gaza airstrikes’ means Palestinian airstrikes killed Israelis, while the opposite is true.

When confronted on this, the BBC told The Canary:

Although the original headline was not factually incorrect, we updated it to add more context.

For months, Palestinians have been protesting the conditions in occupied Gaza, where less than 4% of water is drinkable. Israel has responded with force, killing at least 154 Palestinians and wounding over 16,000 since 30 March.

Influence over BBC

There are well-documentedallegations about the influence of the Israeli lobby over the BBC. These include other instances where the BBC has apparently bowed under pressure to change headlines to make them less accusing of the state of Israel.

In 2015, the BBC‘s complaints unit ruled that the broadcaster had breached its own guidelines in its reporting of Palestinian fatalities. And a BBC online editor once sent internal emails to staff urging them to write more favourably about Israel. In general, the BBC faces accusations of downplaying the reality of the Israeli occupation of Palestine.

Now, the BBC risks going further than downplaying the violence. People could interpret the new headline to mean Palestinians have killed Israelis rather than the other way around. If that’s not breaking the BBC‘s editorial guidelines, nothing is.

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